


Something Old, Something new

by TillyJane175



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Fanfiction, barchie, barchie fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 17:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TillyJane175/pseuds/TillyJane175
Summary: Life is moving on around Archie and he needs his best friend more than ever. Can Betty be the friend he needs or will her feelings cloud her judgement.





	1. The invitation

Archie stares at the phone in his hand, his mother hung up ages ago yet Archie hasn't been able to move from his spot at the kitchen table. Married. His mom is getting married. Although his parents separated ages ago Archie had always held out hope that somehow they'd end up back together. He slams his phone down and pushes away from the table, Standing up he stomps over to sink and fills a glass with water from the tap. How could she do this, to him, to his dad? How could she be so selfish? Chucking the rest of the water into the sink, Archie slams his glass down and stomps upstairs to his room, wondering just how he'll break the news to his dad.

It's just turning dark outside when Archie hears the front door open, getting up from his spot on the bed Archie makes his way downstairs. He's gone over the conversation so many times in his head, he's now worried just how his father is going to take the news. Walking into the kitchen Archie finds his dad rooting through the refrigerator.

"Hey dad," Archie says. Fred closes the fridge door at the sound of his son's voice.

"Hey Archie, everything ok." He asks while placing a pack of steaks on the counter.

"Erm yeah," Archie says. It doesn't sound very convincing. "Mom called"

"Oh yeah?" Fred says "is she ok?" He asks turning to look at Archie.

"Erm yea, I guess so." Archie isn't sure how to break it to him gently so he just rushes it out. "Look I'm not sure how to do this but, well, Mom called to say that, well, she's kinda, getting married." Archie slowly trails off at the end, he watches his dad carefully to see how he'll react, Archie notes that he doesn't seem that fazed by the news.

"Yea Archie, I already knew that." Archie's stumped, his dad already knew, how, when?

"What! When, when did you find out?"

"Archie, we finalised the divorce last time she was in town, you knew that." Fred says, slowly walking around the kitchen island to get closer to Archie, he can see he's not taking this very well.

"Yea I did but I didn't think that was because she wanted to marry somebody else. How could she not tell me."

"She wasn't engaged when she came down here Archie, it was just that things were getting pretty serious as she had a sneaky suspicion he wanted to propose, she wanted everything finalised in case he did."

"I didn't even know she was dating anyone." Archie says becoming more irate.

"Archie you were going through a lot when your mom was here, she didn't want to burden you in case it turned out to be nothing."

"You had no right to keep this from me."Archie yells "You should have told me, you both should have spoken to me." Archie yells, slamming his fist down on the counter. "So what now? I'm just supposed to attend my mother's wedding and give my blessing to some guy I've never met before, well screw that." Archie shouts before turning on his heel and storming up to his room.

"Archie." Fred yells after him, he doesn't follow him though, deciding instead to give him some space.

At school the next day Archie finds it hard to concentrate, every little thing seems to be pissing him off, this doesn't go unnoticed by Betty who's watching him carefully, as though he's a bomb ready to explode. On their way to lunch, she catches up to him and shoves him into an empty classroom so they can talk.

"Alright spill Archie, what's wrong?." Betty questions. She's always been able to read Archie well, she seems to know what he's feeling long before Archie's even processed it.

"Nothing Betty, it doesn't matter." Archie replies.

"Oh cut the bull Archie, you've been in a foul mood all morning, you look like you're one minor inconvenience away from blowing your lid." Betty says. "Come on Archie, you can talk to me."

Archie looks up at Betty, she has a soft smile playing on her lips and Archie finds himself relaxing slightly for the first time since his mother phone call. Relaxing his shoulders Archie lets out a sigh.

"My mom's getting remarried." There's no anger as he says this, only sadness. "She told me over the phone last night." Archie watches as Betty takes a step towards him, the smile falling from her face.

"Oh Archie, I'm sorry." Betty has known Archie since they were kids, she witnessed first hand just how devastated he was when his parents split up, he's always held out hope that they would one day get back together.

"She rang to invite me to the wedding, can you believe that, as if she expects me to accept this guy into our lives, just like that." Archie says, anger becoming evident the more he speaks.

"Archie, she just wants you to be there on what's going to be a very special day to her," Betty says softly. "I know it's hard to think about your mom moving on but it is happening and no matter how angry you're feeling now, you'll feel worse if you miss out on being there for your mom because you couldn't put her feelings over yours." Archie's shoulder sag as what she's saying hits home, Betty has always had a way with words. His mom would be devastated if he refused to accept her invitation. "She wants me to go and meet them next weekend get to know him before they marry on Sunday." Archie sighs, he can't think of anything worse than spending the weekend getting to know the guy who's marrying his mom.

"And you should go," Betty says. "Get to know him and spend some time with your mom, if he makes your mom happy how much of a bad guy can he be?" Archie sighs.

"Come with me." He blurts out catching Betty off guard.

"What?" Betty asks even though he knows she heard what he said.

"Come with me?" This time it's more of a question. "Please Betty." He knows Betty is the only one who could help keep him sane during the weekend.

"What about Veronica?" Betty questions. "Wouldn't you rather have your girlfriend as your date to your mom's wedding?"

"I don't need my girlfriend that weekend Betty, I need my best friend, you know me better than anyone, if anyone can get me through this, it's you." Betty's smiles softly at him once again.

"Okay." Betty responds.

"Okay?"Archie questions, unsure if she's agreeing to go.

"Yeah, okay, I'll come with you." Betty answers, as if she could turn him down. "Where's the wedding anyway."

"Hawaii." Archie responds with a grin.

 


	2. The Arrival

The next week and a half seems to fly by and before Archie knows it, he's dragging his suitcase down the stairs ready to set off for a long weekend in Hawaii. Archie's mom had been thrilled to hear that Betty would be joining them, Veronica, on the other hand, had not taken it quite as well. She couldn't understand why Betty was going and not her, she had gotten the wrong idea completely, refusing to see that they were going just as friends. Jealousy had reared its ugly head and Veronica had given him an ultimatum, go with Betty and come back home to no girlfriend. Furious that Veronica couldn't see that Archie was doing what was best for him and his family, he decided to end their relationship. Archie had been surprised at how little breaking up with Veronica had affected him, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

After a quick goodbye with his dad, Archie heads next door to grab Betty, their taxi should be arriving any minute to take them to the airport. Standing in the doorway, Archie glances round what used to be Betty's neat room, it looks like a tornado has picked the room up, shook it about before dumping it back in place, Archie has never seen Betty's room so messy. Hearing a commotion coming from the bathroom Archie looks up.

"Betty?" Archie questions taking a small step into the room. He watches as Betty walks out of the bathroom juggling an armful of toiletries, crossing the room, she dumps them into a large pink suitcase that's lay open on the bed.

"Betty, you've had over a week to pack." Archie states with shock. "The taxi will be here any minute."

"I know, I'm ready." Betty says sounding flustered.

"Doesn't look like it." Archie responds as he walks over to the bed, he shoves a pile of clothes to the side before sitting down.

"Not helping Archie." Betty yells over her shoulder as she disappears into the bathroom once again.

"Sorry, what can I do to help?" Archie asks as Betty reappears holding her toothbrush, she chucks it on top of the items in her suitcase before slamming the lid shut.

"You can help close my suitcase." Betty says as she struggles with the zip.

"Move, I'll do it." Archie says as he playfully pushes Betty out of the way. Zipping it up with ease Archie grabs the handle and lifts it off the bed.

"Geez Betty, are you sure you packed enough?" Archie pretends to struggle as he feels the weight of the suitcase.

"Shut up." Betty places a playful slap to his arm.

As they reach the bottom of the stairs a horn outside signals the arrival of their taxi.

"You got everything?" Archie checks with Betty. She glances around the bottom of the house as if she's making sure.

"Yeah, let's go." She says grabbing her suitcase and wheeling it to the front door.

"Aren't you saying bye to your mom?"

"She's not here, she uh, spent the night at FP's," Betty says sheepishly. "I'll just call her from the airport." Betty stands to the side to allow Archie to leave. Archie wonders how awkward it must be for Betty having her mom date her ex's dad. Dropping the subject, Archie loads the suitcases in the car as Betty locks up, she skips down the path and Archie holds the taxi door open for her.

"Ready?" He asks Betty.

"Yea, let's do this." Betty answers with a huge smile before climbing in the taxi, climbing in after her Archie finds, that for the first time since finding out about the wedding, he's actually excited about this trip.

After a long but uneventful flight, Betty and Archie finally arrive at the hotel they'll be calling home for the weekend. Exhausted from the flight they stumble into the hotel lobby looking slightly worse for wear. It's evening here in Hawaii but thanks to the time difference it's the middle of the night to Betty and Archie's body clock. Unable to get comfortable on the plane, Archie had given up trying to sleep, choosing instead to watch in-flight movie after in-flight movie whilst Betty read quietly next to him. His mom is waiting for them both in the lobby and spotting them, she rushes forwards and crushes Archie into a hug.

"Archie, I'm so happy you came. And Betty," she says reaching over to pull Betty into a hug. "Thank you for coming. Come on let's get you checked in, you must be exhausted."

After receiving their room keys, Archie and Betty part ways with Archie's mom with the promise of meeting in the lobby in an hour to grab a late dinner. Reaching their neighbouring rooms Archie agrees to knock on for Betty when it's time to go, he has a sneaky suspicion Betty will be squeezing in a quick power nap. He knows he should rest up before dinner but there are too many thoughts racing through his head. He finds himself wondering who this guy might be, what if they don't get on, he would hate for his relationship with his mother to become strained because of some guy. As Archie lay there he starts thinking about his mother and father and their relationship, when they split Archie had been devastated, what kid doesn't dream of their parents staying together forever, no one wants to choose between their parents. For Archie the decision had been made for him, his mom's job forced her to leave Riverdale and she swore she would not be responsible for uprooting Archie from his life, so he stayed with his dad. His relationship with mom had never suffered though, they were still just as close, which is why he was so angry that she'd kept this relationship from him, there was a time when they'd tell each other everything. After laying there for a good half an hour Archie decided to give up on trying to sleep and jumped in the shower to get ready for dinner.


	3. Dinner and a Fight

"Betty." Archie shouts through the closed door, he has been knocking on Betty's door for a good five minutes whilst shouting her name. "C'mon Betty." Archie says to himself as he tries to ring her mobile, once again it goes straight to voicemail, she's either in the middle of a very long phone call or her battery has gone. He's in the middle of rapping on the door when it swings open, revealing a very tired looking Betty. She clearly has been in a very deep sleep, her eyes look heavy with sleep and she has faint nap lines down one side of her face.

"Sorry, I fell asleep, come in." She says as she turns and walks back into the room, Archie follows her in, closing the door behind him. "Just give me five minutes and I'll be ready." Betty says disappearing into the bathroom.

"It's fine, don't rush, my mom will wait for us." Archie says as he moves further into the room and takes a seat on her bed. "I tried calling your cell but it went straight to answerphone." Archie lets her know.

"Yea it died, I forgot to grab my charger," Betty shouts from in the bathroom sounding frustrated. "I knew I was gonna forget something." Betty walks out of the bathroom wiping her face with a towel. Archie stands up ready to go, he smirks as Betty walks towards him, noting the nap-lines are still evident on her face.

"What's so funny?" Betty questions.

"You have nap-lines." He reaches up and gently trails his fingers down Betty's cheek, he hears as her breathing hitches and quickly drops his arm back to his side. "Are you ready?" Archie questions, trying to change the subject quickly.

Betty's eyes seem to come back into focus and she shakes her head a little. "Oh yeah, I mean no, I'm just gonna brush my teeth, then we can go." She walks past him and grabs her toothbrush from the open suitcase lying in the middle of her floor. Watching as Betty disappears into the bathroom Archie flops back onto the bed. He finds himself wondering what that was all about, he'd touched Betty's face thousands of times in the years they'd known each other, he didn't give it a second thought when he reached up to touch her cheek, what he didn't expect was the intense feeling of butterflies in his stomach the second his skin made contact. He finds himself glancing at his hand as if it somehow holds the answers.

"You ready?" Archie looks up to find Betty standing by the door, ready to go.

"Yep, let's do this." Archie says as he stands and follows Betty out of the door.

"What do you think we're having to eat?" Betty questions. "I've never tried Hawaiian cuisine before but I could really murder a burger and fries." Betty says.

"Yea, a burger would be amazing right now." Archie replies, feeling slightly more relaxed as they fall into a friendly conversation on the way to the lobby.

Much to Betty and Archie's dismay, his mom takes them to a traditional Hawaiian restaurant, there's no sign of a burger on the menu.

"Archie, I don't know what half of this stuff is." Betty whispers from behind her menu.

"You should try the Kalua pork." Archie's mom pipes up. Archie watches as Betty's cheeks flame red, clearly embarrassed at being heard. "It's one of the safer options." She says with a smile.

"Sorry, I've never tried Hawaiian food before Ms Andrews." Betty says, placing her menu down.

"I love Hawaii, and its delicacies, and please, call me Mary."

"Thank you, Mary, I'll guess I'll have the Kalua pork then." Betty says with a smile.

"I'll have the same as well." Archie says. Worried he might pick the wrong thing and end up with seafood, Archie opts for the safe option, it's pork, how bad can it be?

As it turns out Archie was very wrong, the pork is far too salty for Archie's tastes and he's struggling with each mouthful, having to drink nearly half a glass of water in between each fork full. Glancing over at Betty, he notices how she seems to be pushing the food around her plate rather than eating it.

"So Ms Andrews, when do we get to meet your fiancé?" Betty asks. Archie chokes slightly on his salty pork before downing more water, he'd almost forgotten why they were here.

"Well, David had to work all week, I've been here since Monday sorting out the last minute jobs, he should be arriving here tomorrow afternoon, I've arranged for the four of us to have dinner at the hotel if that's ok?" She asks, looking to Archie for reassurance. Archie finds himself thinking about this David, he finds it weird that he wouldn't be here already, who lets their fiancée spend the week before their wedding alone, Archie's thoughts are interrupted when he feels a swift quick to his shins. Glancing around he finds Betty glaring at him, did she just kick him?

"Doesn't it Archie?" Betty says.

"I'm sorry what?" Archie says, unsure of what she's asking.

"Dinner, the four of us, I said that sounds great, doesn't it?" The way Betty says the last part through gritted teeth, he knows he has no choice but to agree.

"Oh yea, brilliant, I can't wait to meet David." Archie says, his mother fails to hear the sarcasm in his voice, or she just chooses to ignore it because she claps her hands together and beams brightly.

"Great, I can't wait for you to meet him, I think you're going to get on great." Mary says enthusiastically. Archie braves a look at Betty and finds her glaring at him.

"What." He mouths at her, to which she just rolls her eyes.

Passing on the offer of dessert, Archie uses the excuse of jet lag to get out of more awkward small talk. The walk back to the hotel is quick, Betty seems to have an angry stomp on and Archie struggles to keep up.

Separating at the lobby, Mary bids them both goodnight and they agree to meet for breakfast in the morning. Standing in the elevator on the way up to their rooms, Betty seems to be stood as far away from Archie as possible, with her arms folded crossly in front of her.

"Is something wrong?" Archie asks.

"No." Betty snaps back far too quickly.

"Okay." Archie drags out, she's clearly angry at something.

"That was very rude of you Archie." Betty spits out without looking at him.

"What," Archie says stunned. "What did I do?"

"You completely blanked your mom at dinner, you barely said two words to her, and the minute she mentioned David's name you clammed up." Betty finally turns to face him, disappointment is etched all over her face. "She's really trying Archie, I thought you came here to give them a chance, he isn't even here yet and you're already acting difficult." The lift doors open and Betty storms out, stunned, Archie just stands there. Coming to his senses he rushes out of the elevator just as the doors start to close.

"Betty wait," Archie yells after her as he speeds up to a slow jog to catch up to her, Betty can really move fast when she's got a stomp on. "Betty please don't be mad at me, I am trying. Betty, look at me please." Archie pleads as Betty swipes her key card across the lock, sighing as she turns to look at him. "I'm sorry Betty, I promise I will try harder, just, please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you Archie, I'm, disappointed." Betty says before walking into her room, closing the door behind her. For some reason that makes Archie feel even worse.


	4. The Apology Is Food

After changing into some pyjamas, Betty lies on her bed flicking through the TV, she's not really taking note of what's on any of the channels, her minds to preoccupied with Archie and the fight they just had. She feels awful for being so mean but he made her so angry. He didn't see the look on his mother's face when he blatantly ignored her at dinner. Mary is trying so hard, Betty just wants Archie to at least try, and if that means some tough love from Betty then that's what she going to have to do, no matter how rubbish it makes her feel.

Betty is still flicking through the channels when she hears a knock coming from the door, confused she stands up, the knocking isn't coming from her hotel door, it seems to be coming from the closet. Betty jumps as someone knocks again, approaching the door slowly Betty sees a lock on the outside of the door, feeling foolish Betty realises it isn't a closet door at all, she and Archie must have joining rooms. Sighing Betty reaches over and unlocks the door before throwing it open. Standing on the other side is a very sheepish looking Archie, holding a McDonald's takeout bag in his hands.

"Hey, I uh, noticed you didn't eat much at dinner, so I thought, you might, maybe want a burger." Betty folds her arms across her chest, giving him an annoyed look, he can't worm his way out of this with burgers. "I've got milkshakes as well." He adds, bringing his other arm up to show the cups of milkshakes. Betty finds herself smiling despite her bad mood. Straightening her face Betty stands aside and gestures for Archie to walk into her room.

"This doesn't mean I forgive your behaviour though, this just means I'm starving." Betty says.

"Oh yea, of course, I wouldn't think.." Archie stammers out.

"Archie, relax, I'm joking." Betty says with a laugh. "Now give me fries." She jokingly demands while holding out her hand. Archie relaxes and smiles at Betty as he hands over the bag.

After stuffing their faces with cheeseburgers and milkshakes, Betty and Archie find themselves sprawled out on Betty's bed watching some comedy movie they haven't seen before.

"I am sorry about before Betty," Archie says surprising Betty. "I behaved like a child, I promise I'll start making more of an effort, starting with apologising to my mom in the morning." Betty smiles at him.

"I know this has to be hard for you Archie, but it's also hard for your mom, she's going to want your blessing, don't make this harder than it has to be." Betty replies softly.

Smiling back at her Archie nods. "I'll do better Betty, I promise."

"Good, now stop interrupting the movie, I'm missing all the good bits." Betty says, snuggling further into the bed, kicking his shoes off, Archie makes himself comfortable beside Betty.

As the film draws to a close, Betty finds it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. With one final yawn she snuggles further into her pillow and drifts off to sleep.

Waking up Betty feels hot, too hot. Her chest also feels heavy, opening her eyes, she looks down and sees Archie has his arm locked around her chest. She's lay on her side and Archie is snuggled in very close behind her, she can hear his soft snores in her ear. Every exhale sends hot breath flowing over her ear which sends a shiver deep down her spine before settling in between her thighs. Gently Betty tries to separate herself from Archie so as not to wake him, but the slight movement from her causes Archie to stir in his sleep, he somehow manages to pull Betty even closer to him, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. Betty tenses up, separated only by her thin cotton pyjamas and Archie's shorts, Betty can feel every inch of Archie pressing hard into her thigh. Shocked, she freezes, this is awkward, they haven't slept in the same bed since they were kids, probably because of this very reason. Friends shouldn't snuggle like this, Betty's sure Archie would be embarrassed if he were to wake up and find he was spooning his best friend. Looking around the room her eyes land on the hotel alarm clock, it's 8:15, they were supposed to meet Archie's mom fifteen minutes ago. Forgetting about the awkwardness of the situation Betty shakes Archie's arm.

"Archie, Archie!" Betty calls over. Archie groans into her neck causing goosebumps to erupt all down her arm. "Archie come on wake up, we overslept, we were supposed to meet your mom fifteen minutes ago.

"Huh." Archie says sounding confused, he loosens his grip on Betty and she seizes the opportunity to wriggle from his arms. Jumping out of the bed Betty turns to face Archie, he's rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sits himself up. "I'm gonna have a quick shower, go get dressed and message your mom, tell her we'll be down in fifteen minutes." Betty says before running into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

***********************

Archie sits on the bed, staring at the door Betty just disappeared behind. He's confused about what just happened. He doesn't remember falling asleep last night, the last thing he remembers is hearing Betty's soft snores as he tried to watch the comedy. Turning to look at her, he found Betty sleeping peacefully next to him. Smiling he rolled over and decided to watch her sleep, she looked so relaxed whilst she slept. It had been a while since Archie had really looked at Betty, though he saw her every day, he never stopped to really look at her.

Betty had always been beautiful, no one could deny that, but recently Betty seemed to have really grown into her looks. Her chubby cheeks had smoothed out long ago leaving behind high cheekbones that gave Archie strange feelings whenever he saw them flush. Archie couldn't help but notice the male attention around her had increased tenfold the last year, he still wasn't sure exactly how he felt about that. Archie must have fallen asleep watching her because the next thing he knew he was being shaken awake. His body felt warm and there was an overwhelming scent of what smelt like strawberries. Opening his eyes Archie had found his head was buried in the crook of Betty's neck whilst his body snuggled her from behind, he'd never felt so relaxed. It had took a while for what Betty was saying to register with him, hearing the words overslept Archie tuned in. Relaxing his grip, Betty shot out of his arms.

Shaking his sleepy head he got off the bed and walked into his room through the joining doors. Stripping out of yesterday's clothes Archie found himself wondering what the hell was going on, why did simple things seem so awkward between himself and Betty, they had shared a bed plenty of times in the years they had been friends, so they had been much younger, they were still just as good of friends. Archie decided to put the strange feelings down to jet lag and nerves. Throwing on a clean pair of shorts, Archie is rooting through his suitcase for a t-shirt when he hears Betty call his name, turning round he finds Betty stood in the doorway.

"Hey, uh, sorry, do you want me to come back." Betty says, her eyes glance down at his bare chest before looking back up at his face. Archie smirks as her cheeks flush pink.

"No, it's fine. What's up?" He asks.

"Can I use your charger please?" Betty asks, holding up her dead phone.

"Oh yeah, sure, it's in my suitcase, just plug it in." Archie responds before walking into the bathroom to finish getting ready, he's hoping a large cup of coffee will help clear his head.


	5. The Beach

His mom is already seated at the hotel restaurant by the time Betty and Archie make their appearance, she's sipping a coffee while browsing through her phone. Looking up she smiles at the pair as they plop down into their seats.

"Ms Andrews we're so sorry we're late, we overslept." Betty rushes out.

"Oh don't worry about it Betty. You both must have been shattered, it's a long flight, add to that the time difference, it's enough to wipe anyone out." Flagging down one of the waiters, everyone places their breakfast order, after their late night feast Archie finds he isn't that hungry so he opts for a light breakfast of toast and fruit.

"So, What have you two got planned for today." Archie's mom asks after their plates have been cleared.

"We erm, don't have anything planned actually." Archie answers for them both.

"Well then, how do you feel about spending the day at the beach, the weather is supposed to be lovely all afternoon." She looks between the two of them as she waits for an answer. Archie glances at Betty who nods her approval.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Archie says to his mom.

"Great, shall we go get ready and meet in the lobby in say, an hour." She asks looking at her watch.

"Sounds good to me," Betty confirms, moving to stand up. "You coming, Archie?" Betty asks when she notices he hasn't moved.

"I'll follow you up, I want to speak to my mom for a minute." Betty nods as realisation dawns on her face, waving to them both she weaves past the tables and out of sight. Archie turns round to face his mom. "Mom, I just want to apologise for my behaviour last night." Archie starts but before he can add more to his apology, his mom cuts in.

"Archie, you don't need to apologise, I understand how hard this is for you, and I want to do what I can to make this as easy as possible for you. We can do this at your pace, if you're not ready to meet David you don't have to."

"No Mom, I do want to meet him, I'm just having a hard time getting my head around this, it's all happening so fast, I guess, I just always thought, maybe you and dad..." Archie trials off.

"Oh, Archie." His mom smiles as she reaches across the table and grabs hold of Archie's hand. "I love your father, some part of me always will, but sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, you know that being with them just isn't right for either of you anymore." Archie finds he can relate to where his mom is coming from, whilst being with Veronica was fun and he will always care about her, he always knew Veronica wasn't the one.

"What about David?"Archie finds himself asking. "Does he make you happy?" His mom's smile spreads as she beams.

"Very much so Archie."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Archie responds.

"Okay, now run up and get ready, I'd like a nice tan for my wedding day." Archie's mom says as she rises from her chair. After giving his mom a hug, Archie heads up to his room.

After getting some bits ready for the beach, Archie knocks on the door that joins his and Betty's room.

"Come in," he hears Betty yell from the other side of the door. Walking in, Archie finds Betty sprawled out on her bed. "How did it go with your mom?" She questions as she sits up.

"Fine," Archie responds with a smile. "I apologised and promised to be a bit more open with all of this, you were right, if he makes my mom happy, how much of a bad guy can he be?"

"I'm glad you spoke to her, she looked pretty upset at dinner last night." Betty lets him know. "Now if you're all set, let's get to the beach." She says excitedly

They've been at the beach for a few hours when Archie's mom lets them know that David has arrived at the hotel and she's heading back to meet him. Bidding him goodbye with a kiss on the cheek, Archie's mom agrees to meet them in the hotel bar before dinner.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Archie asks turning towards Betty, so far they've just laid in the sun talking about school, they briefly skirted around the drama with the black hood before Archie had to quickly change the subject after seeing the look on Betty's face.

"Do you want to go swimming?" She asks him, turning to look out at the bright blue sea. He must admit, the sea does look very inviting, the sun is stifling and a cool off in the sea sounds amazing.

"Sure, why not?" Archie responds, he reaches up and takes off his t-shirt and steps out of his shoes. Turning to look at Betty he watches as she unbuttons her shorts and lets them fall to the floor before she steps out of them. She's wearing a pink and black floral bikini top with matching bottoms, when she looks up at him Archie quickly looks away, he feels like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Come on then, last one in the water buys lunch." She shouts as she takes off sprinting down the beach. Laughing Archie chases after her, just before they hit the water line Archie catches up to Betty, grabbing her around her waist and he spins her round to leave her facing the wrong direction, he then walks backwards into the water.

"I win." He smirks.

"You cheated." Betty pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Come on, I was always going to win, there wasn't even any competition." Archie gloats.

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" Betty says as she slowly walks into the water. "I didn't think the water would be this cold." Betty states as she stops with the water up to her knees.

"It's not that bad, Betty," It is colder than Archie first thought it was going to be but it's actually quite refreshing after a while. "You'll get used to it, just move around more."

Betty turns around and starts to walk out of the ocean. "No thanks, it's too cold, let's go back to the towels."

"Oh no you don't," Archie says walking towards her. "You wanted to swim, now swim." He says as he grabs her waist once again.

"Archie no! Don't you dare." Betty squeals. Ignoring her pleas Archie picks her up and walks her further out into the ocean. "Archie please, it's so cold." Betty moans. Once the water reaches both their chests Archie drops Betty onto her feet.

"See it's not so bad." Archie states.

"It really is." Betty says with a shiver.

"Come on, swim around a bit, you'll soon warm up." Archie says, pushing back off the sand to head deeper into the ocean. Reluctantly, Betty moves forwards slowly. Pushing her arms in front of her, she raises her legs and swims after Archie. "There you go." Archie says with a grin, he swims in a circle round Betty, which causes her to laugh. He watches as she lowers her legs to stand up, not realising they've swum too far out to reach the bottom, he can only watch as her head disappears below the water as her arms fly up in fright. "Betty," Archie shouts as he lunges forwards, reaching into the water he grabs hold of Betty's arms and pulls her upwards. Her arms fly around his neck and he feels as her legs wrap around his waist, he pushes her hair out of her face as she lets out a small cough. Archie slowly moves backwards until he's able to stand. "Are you ok?" He asks clearly concerned. Betty lets out a nervous-sounding laugh.

"Yeah, I think so. I didn't think it had gotten that deep." She responds. Archie stares down at her face, making sure she's telling the truth. Looking down at her Archie finds himself taking in her features again, the afternoon in the sun has caused a small dusting of freckles to appear on her nose and her blonde hair is stuck to her forehead from the ocean water. Archie reaches up and once again sweeps it to the side. Betty's eyes close at his touch before she takes a shaky breath. 

"I think that's enough swimming for today." She says as she unwraps her legs from Archie. Archie feels a sense of loss when she's moved away from him, he finds himself thinking he could have easily stood there for hours with Betty wrapped around him. Shaking his head as if to try and shake the thoughts away, Archie watches as Betty walks up the beach, his eyes take in her retreating form and the sight of Betty in her bikini causes Archie's body to react. Cursing he reaches down and adjusts himself before walking out of the sea, thankful that the water is cold enough to stop anything embarrassing from happening, he can't be thinking of Betty like that, he doesn't think of Betty like that, does he?


	6. Dinner with David

After a having a light bite at a snack shack on the oceanfront, Betty and Archie make their way back to the hotel. They decide to have a power nap before tonight's dinner. Not long after dozing off Archie is awoken to the sound of his phone vibrating on the bedside table, he grabs the phone just as it stops ringing, squinting at the screen he can see a few missed calls and messages from Jughead. A glance at the clock shows it's just after five meaning it's almost midnight back in Riverdale, why would Jughead be ringing him at this time. He skims over the messages before sitting up abruptly. This isn't his phone, it's Betty's. She must have plugged it in in his room and forgot to pick it up. He knows he should put the phone down, it would be wrong to snoop but he justifies his snooping by convincing himself that he's just making sure it's nothing urgent, it could have something to do with Betty's mother, after all. Looking at the phone he can see seven missed calls from Jughead, there are also two text messages. The first one is Jughead asking if Betty wants to join the three of them, Jughead, FP and Alice, for dinner. The next message is not as polite.

Never mind, Alice has just informed me that you're in Hawaii with Archie. Guess I had every right to be worried after all.

Archie places the phone back down, he feels guilty for snooping now. He really doesn't want to get in the middle of a fight between Betty and Jughead, but Jughead has to know that he has nothing to worry about between him and Betty, he's quite sure Betty's feelings for him died down a while ago. Archie heads to the shower, he doesn't think he'll be able to sleep now.

************************* 

Betty wakes up around six and immediately jumps into the shower, dinner is at 7:30 which should give Betty plenty of time to get ready. After blow-drying her hair and letting it fall loosely past her shoulders, Betty slips on the dress she has picked out for tonight, Betty has chosen a pale pink dress with a lace detail on the top and a skirt that flows to her knees, she adds a pair of silver sandals and a charm bracelet to finish. Choosing to add a little makeup, she decides to keep it minimal seeing as the small amount of time in the sun has already left her with a sun-kissed glow. Satisfied with her reflection in the mirror she turns around and knocks on the door joining her room to Archie's. Opening the door Archie stands there looking at Betty.

"Wow. Betty, you look, great." Archie says.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself." Betty responds, he's wearing a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, with a pair of beige coloured trousers paired with some white tennis shoes. He looks hot, Betty finds herself thinking. "Are you ready to go?" Betty asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Archie responds.

"You'll be fine." Betty reassures him.

"Oh, I almost forgot, you left your phone plugged in, it rang a couple of times." Archie says, he hopes she doesn't ask if he looked because he's never been a very good liar. Unplugging the phone, Betty quickly skims through it before sighing and placing it in her small bag.

"Everything ok?" Archie asks.

"Yeah, it's nothing." Betty answers, forcing a smile. Smiling back at her Archie holds his arm out for Betty to loop her arm through.

"Then let's go to dinner, m'lady." Betty laughs at his goofiness as they walk out of the room.

Arriving at the hotel bar, Betty's surprised to see how busy it is, she's glad she decided to dress up slightly as it seems everyone is dressed to the nines. Dropping Betty's arm Archie reaches down and grabs her hand. He grasps hold as he weaves through the bar to find his mom. Trailing behind, Betty's pulse is hammering in her ears. It's just hand holding but Betty finds her heart skips a beat whenever Archie touches her. She's starting to feel guilty now though, Archie invited her here because he needed a friend and all Betty seems to be doing is lusting after him. She's not sure when her feelings for Archie changed once again. Since spending more time with him Betty's come to realise that what she and jug had didn't compare to even a fraction for what she feels for Archie, she feels like a terrible person for even admitting to herself, and even worse still, knowing that Archie will never feel the same way about her. So deep in thought, Betty doesn't realise that Archie has come to stop in front of her, she collides gently with his back.

"Sorry." She says as he turns around.

"You Okay?" He asks, ever the caring friend.

"Yeah, it's quite busy in here." Betty says, Archie wraps his arm around Betty's waist, bringing her stand next to him. Stood in front of them is Archie's mom and a tall dark-haired man, who Betty deduces is David

"Betty, look at you, you look gorgeous, so beautiful." Mary beams at Betty.

"Ahem" Archie fake coughs to get his moms attention.

"Oh don't worry Archie, you look beautiful too." She jokes as she leans forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Betty, Archie I'd like you to meet David." Mary says proudly as she points to the dark-haired man standing next to her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Archie." David says reaching out to shake Archie's hand, Betty feels Archie's hand tense up on her waist as Archie shakes his hand. "And Betty, so lovely to meet you." He reaches his hand out towards Betty and she goes to shake his hand but instead, he brings her hand up to his lips to kiss the back of it. Betty can feel her cheeks heat up. "Shall we take our seats?" He questions, without waiting for an answer he leads the way through the bar and into the restaurant. Archie's hand slides from Betty's waist and comes to rest on the small of her back as they walk through the crowd once more, Betty can feel her pulse in her ears again.

During dinner Betty finds the conversation flows easily. David seems to ask all the right questions and this time Archie answers, Betty finds she doesn't really have to say much. The guys seem to be getting on great and Betty can see Archie's mom beaming from the corner of her eye. They are waiting for the desserts to arrive when Betty feels her phone vibrating in her clutch, glancing at the caller ID Betty sees that her mom is trying to call.

"I'm very sorry, my mom is calling me, I'm going to have to take this." Betty says apologetically. Mary nods approvingly and as Betty goes to stand up, Archie and David rise to their feet, Betty can feel her cheeks flame once again. Weaving through the tables Betty answers the call.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" Betty asks as she breaks through the bar into the lobby.

"Hey Betty, how's Hawaii?" A male voice slurs down the line.

"Jughead?" Betty questions. She brings the phone away from her ear to check it was indeed her mom's name on the caller ID. "Jughead, what are you doing with my mom's phone?" Betty questions.

"How's Archie doing, Betty? Have you screwed him yet?"

"Jughead!" Betty yells causing a few people to turn and look at her. Embarrassed Betty walks towards the lifts and pushes the call button. "Jughead what the hell has gotten into you?" Betty says as she walks into the lift, pushing the button for her floor.

"What, that's what you've wanted all this time isn't it?" He slurs his words so much Betty almost can't understand what he's saying.

"Jughead have you been drinking?" Betty's asks, she has never known Jughead to get drunk.

"So what if I have," He says, "why are you avoiding my question, Betty." The way he drags out her name infuriates Betty.

"No, I have not slept with Archie and I don't intend to. I am here as his friend, for support during a difficult time." Betty scans her keycard, walking into her room she slams the door shut behind her.

"Oh, I'm sure you couldn't wait to jump at the chance to support him. Is this why you broke up with me Betty? Because of Archie?"

"No, Jughead, you know why we broke up." Betty couldn't handle Jughead being the leader of the serpents, at one point Betty wanted nothing more than to become a member of the Southside serpents. But after finding out her dad was a psychotic, vengeful killer, Betty wanted to distance herself from anything dark in her life, unfortunately, that meant Jughead and the Southside serpents, plus with her mom now dating FP and knowing that there could possibly be a brother to Betty and Jughead somewhere out there, Betty started feeling weird dating Jughead, like she was dating family.

"I tried to give you everything Betty, despite always feeling second best to Archie Andrews, I was willing to give you the world, make you my queen." Betty feels horrible, she hasn't spoken to Jughead since they split, trying to avoid all this emotional drama.

"Jughead, I'm sorry for making you feel this way, I thought you understood."

"I thought I did too, I guess I just didn't expect you to run off to another state with your best friends boyfriend, what kind of friend does that Betty, a whore that's who, a whore who's thinking only about herself." Tears spill down Betty's cheeks, how could he say that to her. Refusing to listen to anymore, Betty hangs up the phone. Lying down on the bed, Betty curls up into a ball and breaks down. Maybe Jughead's right, though she hasn't acted on it, Betty has done nothing but lust after Archie all weekend, allowing him to sleep next to her, wrapping herself around him at the beach, tarting herself up for a dinner with his family. Betty really is a terrible friend, to Archie and to Veronica.


	7. Less Thinking More Drinking

Archie has finished his dessert and finds himself glancing at Betty's full plate before looking down at his watch.

"She's been gone a long time," David says causing Archie to look up. "Maybe you should go check on her."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Archie says, looking between David and his mom. They both shake their heads.

"No hunny, go, make sure she's ok." His mom says. Archie thanks them both before rushing through the restaurant. After searching the bar and lobby Archie starts to panic that he can't find her. Calling her cell, it just rings out, so she's not on the phone anymore. Deciding to check the rooms before calling out a manhunt, Archie walks over to lifts.

Walking into his empty room Archie stops as he hears a sound, hearing what sounds like sniffling Archie walks into Betty's room. Relief soon turns to anguish when he spots Betty lying on the bed, she's curled up in a fetal position on the bed, her body is shaking with sobs.

"Betty, what's wrong. Did something happen at home? Is everyone okay?" Archie fires out question after question, worried what's gotten her in this state. Hiccuping, Betty sits up as she reaches up and wipes her face.

"Everyone's fine, it wasn't my mom that called, it was Jughead." Archie's confused, she said her mom was calling, did she really blow off his family to come to speak to Jughead?

"Is he ok?" Archie asks sounding less sympathetic. "What did he want?"

"He's been calling since we got here," Betty says, her voice sounding weak. "I've been ignoring him, he rang off my mom's phone, I wasn't expecting him to,I didn't want to speak to him." Betty says, tears well in her eyes and her bottom lip trembles.

"Betty, what did he say to you?" Archie asks, suddenly curious as to what he could have said to upset her so much.

"It doesn't matter, it's nothing I didn't deserve." Betty says, her voice breaking with emotion.

"Betty, tell me what he said," Archie says, coming to sit on the bed beside Betty. He's suddenly furious at Jughead, whatever he said must have been bad. "Either you tell me or I'm ringing Jughead back and I'll get him to tell me."

"No don't, please Archie, you'll only make things worse." Betty pleads.

"So tell me, come on Betty, talk to me."

"He's mad that I'm here with you."

"So what, you're not together, are you?" Archie questions.

"No we're not, but he thinks you're the reason why we broke up, he thinks I came here to, well.." she trails off, clearly embarrassed. "He called me a whore." Betty whispers, her voice breaking, she starts crying again. Archie stands up from the bed, furious, he paces the room.

"What? He actually said that. How dare he." Archie pulls out his phone from his pocket. "He's not getting away with that?" Betty leaps up from the bed and grabs hold of Archie's hand. "Archie please don't, you'll only make it worse, he's drunk, he probably didn't mean it."

"I don't care, he doesn't get to speak to you that way Betty."

"No, Archie, please," Betty pleads whilst trying to grab his phone, she has tears streaming down her face and is crying hysterically. "Archie, just leave it, I'll sort it." Archie relents and lets Betty take his phone, he's never seen Betty so upset.

"Betty, why are you letting him get away with this? Look at what he's done to you." Betty flops down on her bed.

"Because it's true, Archie, I'm a horrible person, I've even managed to ruin your first time meeting David, I should have just made you bring Veronica instead of being so selfish." Betty says with a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice.

"Betty, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, you are the most selfless person I've ever met," Archie sits down on the bed next to Betty. "I wanted you here Betty, you couldn't have made me bring anyone else. If Jughead wants to be bitter about that, then let him. You have helped me so much this weekend."

"I'm sorry Archie." Betty apologies again, Archie reaches over and pulls her into a hug, she relaxes into his hold and continues to cry into his chest.

After a while Betty's crying turns into small sobs which eventually evens out into small snores, looking down at Betty, Archie's sees she has fallen asleep in his arms, he very carefully lowers her down onto the bed before covering her with a blanket, her face looks slightly puffy from the crying and her lips seem to be pouting, Archie feels his heart skip a beat as he stares at her, he hates seeing her hurt, he can't wait to give Jughead a piece of his mind. Grabbing his phone he walks into his room to call his mom.

"Hey Archie." His mom answers. She sounds like she's in the bar downstairs judging from the noise in the background. "How's Betty, did you find her?" She asks.

"Yeah, I found her, we're back up at the rooms. She's a bit upset actually, had a bit of bad news from back home." Archie lies, he doesn't really want to go into too much detail with his mom, it's not really his story to tell.

"Oh no, is she ok?"

"Yeah she will be, we're just gonna stay up in the room if that's ok."

"Oh Archie that's fine, just look after Betty, ok?"

"I will do Mom." Archie promises.

"Ok Archie, we're having a wedding breakfast at ten, you and Betty will be joining me down here in the restaurant."

"Okay Mom, I'll see you in the morning. Love you." Archie hangs up feeling slightly guilty at having to cut his night with his mom short, but there's no way he could leave Betty alone like this.

After kicking off his shoes Archie walks back into Betty's room, finding the bed empty, Archie calls out for her.

"Betty?" He shouts. He hears a muffled shout come from the bathroom.

"In here" she shouts back, Archie can still hear the sadness laced in her voice, walking closer to the bathroom he hears the sound of water running, she must have jumped in the shower.

Archie is rooting through the minibar in Betty's room when he hears the door to the bathroom open, turning round he finds Betty walking into the room, she's wearing lilac coloured pyjama shorts and with a matching vest t-shirt, her hair is still slightly damp from the shower. Her face no longer seems puffy but her eyes are still tinged red, Archie wonders if she's been crying in the shower.

"You don't have to stay Archie, go back down to your mom and David." Betty says twiddling her fingers in front of her.

"No it's fine, we'd more or less finished anyway, they've headed to the bar for drinks now. My moms invited us to the wedding breakfast in the morning though." Betty nods to show she's heard. She glances down at his hands.

"What are you doing with those?" Archie holds up the miniature bottles of alcohol.

"I thought we could have a drink, think you more than deserve one." Archie says as he lines the bottles up.

"Archie, those will be ridiculously expensive, you never take anything from a hotel mini bar." Betty says going to sit on the bed.

"Ah, who cares, I'll just tell my mom I got hungry and raided the snacks." Archie says as he prepares two vodka and cokes. Passing a glass to Betty he takes a long drink from his.

"Okay, why not?" Betty states before taking a drink.

"Let's see if there's anything decent to watch." Archie says as he grabs the remote and settles down next to Betty on the bed.

A few hours later, Archie and Betty have finished all the alcohol in Betty's mini bar and are now halfway through Archie's. Archie is feeling slightly buzzed and looking at betty he can see her cheeks are flushed and her eyes have a slightly glassy look to them.

"You're drunk." Archie giggles at Betty.

"I am not." Betty says pretending to be shocked, it may have been convincing if she hadn't slurred her words.

"You are, your cheeks have flushed red, they always do that when you have alcohol." Archie reaches over and strokes her cheek.

"Well," Betty says. "You're drunk as well." Archie smiles as he drops his hand.

"Yes, I am." He states. Betty goes to get off the bed, and Archie watches in amusement as she sways slightly on the spot.

"Hey," Archie says laughing, "where are you going?"

"To pee." Betty sings before stumbling into the bathroom. Archie laughs to himself, Betty is a funny drunk. A few minutes pass before Archie hears a crash coming from the bathroom, racing across the room, he bangs on the door whilst shouting out to Betty.

"Betty, what was that noise? Are you ok?" He tries the door handle but finds it locked, he's ready to shoulder barge the door when he hears laughter coming from inside.

"Betty are you ok?"

"Yeah." Betty shouts in between giggles.

"Open the door Betty." He hears a couple more bangs before the lock on the door clicks, after opening the door Betty stands there laughing.

"You were right, I am drunk." She says as she sways on the spot. "I just fell into the bath." She starts laughing hysterically once again.

"Come on, back in bed." Archie says grabbing hold of her arm and wrapping it around his shoulder, he wraps his other arm around her waist and guides her towards the bed. After placing her on the bed Archie goes to straighten up before Betty pulls his arm back down.

"You should lie down as well, just in case you fall into the bath, it hurts when you do that." Archie is pulled down next to a laughing Betty.

"I'm not going to fall into the bathtub Betty, I'm not a lightweight like you."

"Hey," Betty says slapping his arm playfully, she turns on her side to face him, grabbing a hold of his arm she snuggles into it. "I've missed you Archie." She says into his arm.

"Betty, you see me almost every day." Archie says confused.

"Yeah, but it's not the same, we've always been so close, I've missed spending time with you."

"Yeah, me too." Archie says looking up at the ceiling, he really means it, he's had so much fun spending time with Betty this weekend. "Right, we should get some sleep, it's a big day tomorrow." Archie says turning to look at Betty, he finds her staring at him, smiling.

"Yeah," Betty sighs. She leans forward and presses her lips to Archie's. Stunned, Archie lays there, focusing on the feeling of Betty's lips on his, as she starts to pull away Archie finds he doesn't want the kiss to end, he leans forwards slightly, adding more pressure to Betty's lips. The kiss is short and sweet and as Archie pulls away Betty sighs with a smile on her face.

"Goodnight, Archie." She says without opening her eyes. Moments later her breathing even outs and Archie's sure she's fallen asleep. Laying back Archie stares at the ceiling, he brings his hand up to his mouth and lightly brushes his fingers over his lips. That's the second time Betty has kissed him, and whilst they were both brief, innocent kisses, Archie finds that they are the most passionate kisses he's ever experienced. Looking back down at Betty, Archie smiles, she's still curled up around his arm, he leans down and gives her a small kiss on her forehead, he lets his lips linger slightly as he takes in her scent. Leaning back Archie smiles to himself, he finds himself wondering why he ever decided to turn Betty down.


	8. The Morning after the Night Before

Waking up the next morning, Archie notes the familiar feeling of a hangover coming on, a glance at the clock shows it's only 7:30, they still have plenty of time before they need to go down for breakfast. Archie can see that during the night he has once again become entangled with Betty, his left arm is laying under Betty's chest whilst his right hand is draped over her, Betty's fingers are entwined with Archie's. Feeling brave Archie pulls her closer to him, bringer her back flush against his chest. Betty stirs slightly but doesn't wake. Archie takes this time to try and assess his feelings for Betty, he knows he's always loved her, but recently his feelings seem to have intensified. He couldn't admit it the time, not even to himself, but when Betty got serious with Jughead, Archie felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. Knowing it was his own doing for turning her down, he threw himself into his relationship with Veronica. Looking back Archie can now see he was never really in love with Veronica. He simply lusted after her. Being with Betty, experiencing her kisses, Archie wonders if this is what it's meant to feel like. He wonders how Betty feels about him now, she hasn't expressed any interest in him since the night he turned her down, he sees how her body reacts when she's near him but could that just be lust or could she still have feelings for him. He has no idea how he could even bring it up, she probably hates his guts for putting her through what he did after the dance to turn round and say 'actually Betty I was wrong and I think I might be in love with you, want to see what happens, maybe go on a date.' She'd probably slap him, rightly so.

As the clock nears eight Archie decides it time to wake Betty, though the breakfast isn't for another two hours, Archie thinks Betty might appreciate a bit more time to come to, given the amount she drank last night. Leaning over Archie sweeps Betty's hair out the way before whispering in her ear.

"Betty." Archie feels a strange stirring as he spots goosebumps erupting down her arm, he smirks as she shivers gently. Leaning back he gives her shoulder a small shake. "Betty, time to wake up." He says softly. He watches as she rolls on her back, stretching out. His eyes drift down, following her long legs to her pointed toes as she stretches, following her legs back up Archie notices her vest top has risen up slightly, giving a glimpse of her midriff, Archie's hands twitch as he fights the urge to feather his fingertips across her stomach. Shaking his head Archie tells himself to get a grip. 'What's gotten into me' he wonders.

****************************

Betty's awoken to the sound of Archie gently calling her name, stretching, she releases a groan, her head feels like it's been pounded with a sledgehammer.

"Ugh." She moans, she hears Archie laugh beside her, "I blame you for this, just so you know." This makes Archie laugh again, sitting up she rubs the side of her head where a headache seems to be originating from, she hisses slightly as her hand comes into to contact with a small lump under her hair. "Oh my god, I've got a bump on my head." Betty states shocked, she keeps rubbing her fingers over it despite the fact it hurts.

"Yeah, apparently you fell into the bathtub, don't you remember?" Archie asks sitting up next to her.

"Yea I remember, I didn't think I hit it that hard though."

"Let me feel." Archie reaches up and runs his fingers through her hair, Betty winces as his fingers glide over the bump. "I think you'll live." Betty rolls her eyes at Archie's response. "Ok, so I'm going to get ready for this breakfast, my moms expecting us at ten, you gonna be ok?" Archie asks.

"Yea, I'm sure I packed some painkillers, I'll see you in about an hour." Archie gets up and goes to leave her room, she watches as he gets to the door before looking back at her, giving her a smile he disappears into his room, closing the door behind him. Betty flops back down on the bed, pressing the palms of her hands into her eye sockets she finds herself cringing. She kissed Archie, again. What was she thinking, she had only meant to give him a kiss on the cheek, she had no idea what came over her. She's absolutely sure he kissed her back though, yet he didn't say anything this morning. He spent the night in her bed which Betty takes as a good sign, at least he's not angry with her. Betty needs to get her emotions in check, she's worried she might lose her friendship, to both Archie and Veronica if she doesn't get a hold of herself. She decides not to dwell on it, for now, it's a big day for Archie and Betty wants to be there for him, strictly as a friend. Throwing on a pretty summer dress, she scrapes her hair back into a ponytail before adding a bit of makeup. After brushing her teeth she walks into her room to find Archie stood waiting for her.

"You ready?" Archie asks her. "I want to get there early, I'm in dire need of some caffeine." Betty laughs before agreeing. She's gonna need a lot of caffeine to get through today.

Arriving at the restaurant Betty sees Archie mom has been busy setting up the breakfast. Betty rushes over to see if there's anything she can do to help.

"Betty, hi," Mary says before pulling her into a hug. "How are you sweetie, Archie said you were a little upset last night."

"Oh yeah, I'm much better, thank you. I'm so sorry for running out on dinner, and for taking Archie away."

"Nonsense Betty. Don't you ever apologise for needing a friend. Archie was very worried about you last night." 

"He was?" Betty questions, she looks around and finds Archie pouring two cups of coffee on the other side of the room. "He's a good friend." Betty says softly, Archie has always looked out for her.

"He'll come round soon, Betty." Betty's head whips round to look at Mary, who's wearing a knowing smile on her face, Betty's about to ask her what she means by that but Archie interrupts them.

"I brought coffee." Archie states. "Morning Mom, can I get you one?" He asks leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"No thanks Archie, I'm too jittery for caffeine." Mary says holding up her shaking hands.

"Are you excited to get married?" Betty asks, she doesn't think she's ever seen Archie's mom so happy, she's practically glowing.

"I'm ready for it to be over," she sighs. "Planning a wedding is stressful work."

"I'm sure it will be amazing," Betty reassures her, "it's lovely weather for it." Betty adds looking out the window, it's another glorious day in Hawaii, there doesn't seem to be a cloud in the sky.

"It really is." Mary sighs.

After breakfast Betty and Archie make their way up to their rooms, they have an hour to be ready before their cars arrive to take them to the beach. Archie has the role of one of the groomsmen so he won't be travelling with Betty. After showering, Betty curls her hair into loose curls before doing her makeup. The dress she's wearing is a rose gold, mini pleated chiffon dress that stops just above the knee. The straps of the dress cross over to meet at the back held together with a big bow. Betty has just slipped the dress on when Archie knocks on her door.

"Come in," she yells out to him. As Archie walks through the door Betty's jaw nearly hits the floor. Archie is dressed in a light grey suit that fits him perfectly in every way, under his blazer is a matching waistcoat with a white shirt, Archie has left the top few buttons open. "Hey." Betty breathes out, she internally cringes, she must sound like a lovesick puppy.

*********************

As Archie walks into Betty's room, he's floored by how different Betty looks, he's seen her dressed up so many times over the years yet somehow, she looks different. Archie feels like he's looking at her as if for the first time.

"Hey," she breathes out before clearing her throat, "Sorry, would you mind helping me with my zipper?" Betty says turning her back to Archie, she reaches round trying to grab the zipper as if to prove she can't reach it.

"Yea, of course I can," Archie walks towards Betty, coming to a stop right behind her he reaches out to grasp the zip, holding his hand out he notices it's shaking. Giving his hand a shake he reaches out again, very slowly he glides the zip to the top of the dress, which is about halfway up her back. Straightening the large bow on the back he then slips his fingers underneath the straps of the dress, sliding his fingers up the straps, he untwists them and his fingers lightly ghost across Betty's skin as he does. Archie smirks as he watches her upper arms erupt with goosebumps, he knows her cheeks must be flaming red. "Betty," Archie sighs, "you look," there's a pause as he tries to think of the right word. "Beautiful." It doesn't seem enough to describe her beauty but it's the best he can do. Betty turns to face him, Archie was right, her cheeks are tinged with pink.

"Thank you, Archie." She says, Archie is suddenly aware that they are standing very close. Archie's phone rings from inside his pants pocket, bringing Archie back to reality. Stepping back, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and silences it.

"That's David," He says. "The car for the groomsmen is here, I need to go down. David's arranged for you to share a car with a few other guests, he said he'll meet you in the lobby." Archie places both hands in his pockets as he rocks on his feet. "So, I guess I'll see you there." Betty nods in agreement.

"Yeah, you will." She smiles at him, Archie turns and leaves to make his way down to the lobby.


	9. The Wedding

Getting out the car Betty follows the swarm of people making their way towards the beach, Betty is stunned by how beautiful the beach is set up. The alter is placed so that the ocean will be the backdrop of the happy couple as they exchange their vows, there's a white carpet leading up the aisle that's scattered with light pink rose petals. Taking a seat close to the back Betty looks round to see if she can spot Archie, she hasn't seen any of the wedding party since she arrived. Almost half an hour passes before the registrar commands everyone to their seats. Betty smiles as a man starts playing a beautiful song on a ukulele. Turning her head Betty watches as the wedding party lines up at the back of the beach, she can see Archie with his bridesmaid, on an older woman who must be one of Archie moms friends. Betty watches as he walks down the aisle before standing in line with the other groomsmen. Rising from her seat Betty watches with tears in her eyes as Mary makes her way down the aisle, she looks so beautiful, her dress is casual yet perfect for the setting, she's smiling so widely, she only has eyes for David who's standing at the end of the aisle. Betty takes her seat again as the registrar begins the ceremony.

The bride and groom have written their own vows and Betty once again finds her eyes welling at as Mary and David declare their love for each other, Betty finds her eyes drifting to Archie as she wonders if she'll ever feel the same way about someone else the way she does about Archie. After the bride and groom share their first kiss as husband and wife, the wedding party walks back up the aisle and out of sight, Betty once again follows the herd of people further up the beach, where a large marquee has been set up. Inside there are thousands of twinkling lights spread around the tent, with a large dance floor in the middle surrounded by tables. Betty finds herself in awe of just how beautiful this whole wedding has been. As the tent fills up Betty continues to look for Archie, she helps herself to one of the many glasses of champagne being offered out, Betty sips it slowly, she is still suffering slightly from the previous nights drinking session.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please raise your glasses as we welcome, for the first time as husband and wife, David and Mary Cooper." The crowd cheers as the happy couple make their way through the crowd. Betty hangs back as hoards of people rush forwards, eager to congratulate them. Betty gently pushes her way through the crowd, making her way towards the back of the tent so she can stand out of the way, she's always hated crowded places. As she's looking out over the crowd she locks eyes with a boy who looks about Betty's age, he smiles at her and Betty politely smiles back before continuing to look around. Betty groans internally as the boy makes his way over to where Betty's stood. She's really not in the mood for small talk with strangers.

"It's a bit crowded out there huh," He says, gesturing his head back towards the crowd.

"Yea, I guess." Betty replies to be polite.

"My names Tyler, and you are?" He asks as he takes a step closer to her. Betty feels a little uncomfortable at the closeness.

"Betty." She replies curtly.

"Beautiful name, it suits you." Betty's not sure how to respond to that, was that supposed to be a compliment? "So Betty, can I get you a drink?" Betty holds up her half-full glass of champagne.

"I've got one thanks." She leans her head sideways to look out over the crowd, hoping he'll take the hint that she's not interested.

"Come on, let me buy you a real drink. This champagne's a bit tasteless."

"I happen to like it." Betty says, she takes a sip, as if to prove her point.

"I've definitely had better," Tyler gloats. "How about I buy you a proper drink, something that will really tantalise your taste buds."

"Look Tyler, I'm sorry but I'm really not interested." Betty replies, trying to let him down gently.

"Come on Betty, what kind of gentleman would I be if I just let a pretty girl stand here all alone without a decent drink." He reaches up and trails his finger down her upper arm. Betty twists her body away from him so he can no longer touch her. She's just about to lay into him for thinking he has any right to put his hands on her body when she hears Archie calling her name.

"Betty, hey, there you are." Archie walks over and stands next to Betty, reaching out he wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side, playing along Betty reaches up and puts her hand on his chest, she reaches up and places a kiss on his cheek, turning to look back at Tyler, she sees him backing away slowly.

"Save me a dance later Betty." He says as he turns and walks into the crowd. Breathing a sigh of relief Betty drops her hand from Archie's chest.

"Thank you for that, that guy would not take the hint." she turns to look at Archie and finds him glaring into the crowd. "What took you so long to get here?" Betty says trying to distract Archie, he looks furious. Glancing down at Betty his face softens.

"We were doing photographs, back at the beach. What was that guy saying?" Archie asks.

"Oh he just wanted to buy me a drink, wouldn't take no for an answer." Archie frowns at hearing this.

"Come and find me if he gives you any more trouble, Betty." Archie states.

"Don't worry, I plan on staying as far away from him as possible. Shall we go and find your mom," Betty says, changing the subject, "I haven't seen her since this morning." Archie nods in agreement.

Archie's mom is still greeting family and friends when they find her so they wait patiently for her to finish, spotting the two of them, Mary's face lights. Betty reaches over and pulls Mary into a hug as Archie congratulates David.

"Congratulations Mrs Murphy, you look absolutely stunning." Betty says into her ear, pulling back Betty looks at Mary's beaming face.

"Thank you Betty, that's so sweet of you. Swapping sides Archie pulls his mom into her hug and Betty reaches out to shake David's hand, once again he pulls her hand up to his lips. "Congratulations David."

"Thanks Betty. And thank you for coming." Betty's steps back just as Archie finishes hugging his mom.

"Now go and enjoy the party you two." Mary says as they are pushed to the side by more people wanting to congratulate the new couple.

After what seems like hours, the speeches are finally over, and the DJ declares the buffet open.

"Do you want anything to eat?"Archie asks. Betty shakes her head.

"No thanks, am still quite full from breakfast."

"You should probably eat something, adding champagne onto last nights alcohol can't be good for you, your cheeks are already turning pink."

"They are not," Betty reaches up and touches her hands to her cheeks, she's only had two glasses of champagne, not by choice, she had to keep toasting the bride and groom during the speeches. "They're probably pink because it's so warm in here."

"It is quite warm, do you want to go and get some fresh air, take a walk down the beach." Archie offers.

"We can't just leave your moms wedding." Betty says to Archie, it wouldn't look good if they just walked out.

"They're all eating, they won't even notice we've gone, we'll be back before their first dance."

"Okay then," Betty relents, she really could do with some fresh air, it's quite stuffy in the tent.

As they walk towards the ocean Betty removes her shoes and lets her toes soak in the surf, the sun is pretty low in the sky and there's a slight breeze coming in from the sea. Betty closes her eyes as she relaxes to the sound of the waves.

"It's really nice here, I can see why my mom wanted to get married here." Betty looks over to see Archie has come to stand next to her, he's rolled up his pant legs so he can wade in the water, he's also taken his jacket off and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. Betty doesn't think he could possibly get any hotter. Trying to distract herself Betty turns to Archie.

"So, does David have your blessing?"

"Yeah, he does," He says smiling to himself, "it makes it easier being able to see my mom so happy."

"See, aren't you glad you came?" Betty asks.

"Yeah," He sighs, he turns to look at Betty. "Thank you so much for coming with me Betty, I honestly don't think I could have gotten through this without you."

"You know I'll always be here for you Archie. You don't have have to thank me."

"But I do Betty," he reaches out and grabs hold of her hand. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be sat at home sulking like a spoilt brat, because of you I got to be here for my mom, I can't thank you enough for that." Archie reaches up and catches a stray curl before tucking it behind her ear.

"Betty, I," his hand lingers near Betty's ear as he speaks. "I just." Betty watches him in confusion as he tries to get his words out. She watches as he huffs to himself.

"Screw it." She hears him say and suddenly his lips are on hers, his hands fly up to her hair holding her in place as he kisses her, furiously, passionately. Caught up in the moment Betty finds herself kissing him back, she brings her hands up and tangles them in his hair. Betty pours all she has into the kiss, she's dreamed about the moment for so long, Archie is finally kissing her. Betty pulls away from Archie abruptly, something doesn't feel right, she feels like she's taking advantage, Archie is no doubt highly emotional, weddings are already emotional anyway, but this is Archie's mom remarrying. Taking a step back Betty holds her hand up, she shouldn't have let this happen, it's not fair, to anyone. Archie has only just split up with Veronica, she can't do this to her friends, no matter how much she loves Archie, she can't be that person.

"Archie, I.." Betty's not sure what to say. "We should get back to the party." Resolving to just run away from it, Betty turns and makes her way back up the beach towards the marquee.

************

Archie watches as Betty walks away from him, leaving him standing in the ocean. Stunned, Archie tries to figure out what just's happened. He wasn't expecting Betty to react that way, hell he doesn't know why he reacted the way he did, Betty just looked so beautiful, wearing that beautiful smile with her hair blowing in the breeze, the more Archie thought about how much Betty meant to him the more Archie's heart swelled, he'd been a fool to ignore his feelings for Betty this long. And when it all came rushing to the surface, Archie couldn't find the words the express to Betty how much she meant to him, so he decided to show her. He didn't think she'd push him away though, and he had to admit the rejection stung. Watching Betty's retreating form he knows he can't just leave it this way. He starts to chase after her. "Betty, betty wait." He shouts after her, she acts like she doesn't even hear him. Sprinting faster, Archie catches up to her, grabbing hold of her arm and spins her round "Betty, please wait." As she turns to look at him he can see her eyes are welling with tears, shit, had he made her cry?

"Archie we should get back to the party, your mom's probably wondering where we are." She says as she wipes furiously at her cheeks.

"Betty, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me Archie, I'm fine, "she says as she tries to force a smile. "Lets just, forget this," she says as she waves her arms between her and Archie. "And get back to your mom." She turns round to start walking again but Archie grabs her arm to stop her.

"Betty pl.."

"I can't Archie," she turns round to face Archie and the tears that were filling her eyes are now running down her cheeks.

"Betty." Archie's heart breaks at the sight of her.

"Don't Archie, please. If you care about me at all, you'll just let it go."

"I can't betty, I hate seeing you this way, especially knowing I've caused it."

"Then you shouldn't have kissed me, I get that you probably didn't mean it, you were just too caught up in the moment but, Archie, you must know how I feel about you, you can't just play around with my feelings, it not fair on me.

"Betty, I would never do that." Archie's hurt that Betty would think that little of him. "Betty I kissed you because, well because I wanted to."

"I don't understand, You didn't want me, remember?"

"Yes Betty, I remember, but I was an idiot. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, you are the so caring, selfless and the most beautiful person I've ever met, gosh your so beautiful. I was an idiot to turn you down, Betty, I.. I love you."

Betty's mouth drops at his words. "What?"

"I love you Betty, and not just as a friend. I can't stop thinking about you and how much I want to kiss you, or touch you, just to get as close to you as possible. You drive me crazy Betty and I want to be with you. I'm so in love with you, all of you, I would completely understand if you were to walk away right now but I'm asking you to give me a chance, give us a chance, please." Archie stands there feeling vulnerable, he's never put himself out there like he has just done, but he needs Betty to understand, she is all he wants, now and forever. Archie watches as Betty tries to take in what he's saying. Without warning, she lunges at Archie. Wrapping her arms around his neck she presses her lips to Archie's. Archie kisses her back with all the passion he can muster, he can feel his heart hammering against his chest and his lungs are screaming for oxygen but he doesn't want the kiss to end, when he finally pulls away for air, they're both panting. Resting his forehead against Betty's he smiles, this feels right.

"Please don't hurt me Archie." Betty whispers to him.

"Never." He says, he lifts his head up and presses his lips to Betty's forehead. "I love you Betty, I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it." Betty looks into Archie's eyes and smiles.

"I love you too, Archie." Reaching up she presses another kiss to his lips.


End file.
